Inner Peace

Have you ever wandered outside late at night just after a fresh snowfall?  The stars shine brightly overhead in the onyx night sky, not a cloud in sight.  The snow around you glistens, reflecting the beautiful glow of the moon above.  It is silent, the kind of silence that feels vast and heavy.  It’s quite eerie in a way, yet strangely beautiful.  If I had to compare how I am feeling, this would be it.  God, however, gives it another meaning: Peace that transcends all understanding. 

 

I remember the end of last year, being here and adjusting to a whole new world.  Anxiety, you could say, was my best friend, or worst rather.  We were tight.  Every once in a while, though, I would get a glimpse of peacefulness, of inner tranquility.  I craved those moments but found them hard to grasp at times.  I still worried too much.  This year, I begged God to not let me feel like that again, to not be ridden with worry and constantly overthinking about the future.  I begged Him to send me His peace, a peace that would steady my heart and ease my mind.  And I can tell you, it truly passes all understanding.  By all accounts, logical human accounts that is, I should worry and plan and prepare and think about the future.  And I do, but it’s different.  Now I’m trying to see the future as something I’ll eventually get to.  The steps to take along the way, I will walk with trust in every footfall, trust that God knows what He’s doing.  And I don’t need to worry, for He doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle if we lean on His understanding and not our own. 

It isn’t easy.  In fact, sometimes I ruin it when I think about it too much.  Just when I start feeling calm and assured, I think to myself, “Well this is weird,” and then I start thinking how eerie it is to feel so peaceful and wondering how long it’ll last and what does it mean and…. You get the point.  I start to overanalyze this wonderful gift that has been given to me instead of accepting it and continuing on.  So my next challenge for myself is learning graciousness for the blessings I’m given.  As Sarah Young puts it January 19’s devotion in Jesus Calling:

“Seek my face, and you will find more than ever dreamed possible. Let Me displace worry at the center of your being. I am like a supersaturated cloud, showering Peace into the pool of your mind. My Nature is to bless. Your nature is to receive with thanksgiving. This is a true fit, designed before the foundation of the world. Glorify Me by receiving My blessings gratefully…” (p. 20).

I pray that each and every one of you receives the blessing of God’s peace in this coming year.  And I challenge you, just as I challenge myself, to accept this great gift with open arms and not a questioning and doubting mind. 

On a side note, I just heard that my sister Sarah was in an accident this morning.  Praise God she’s ok but keep her in your prayers and that all her aches and pains will be healed quickly.

 

Stay tuned!

Welcome Surprises (And One Not-So-Welcome One)

Well, I’m back.  And Costa Rica threw me a Welcome Home party this time around—bright sunshine, strong breezes, and friendly faces.  Can’t get much better than that! 
 

Maya, Tali and Me at our best ;)

So, quite a few things happened here at Casa Adobe in my absence, things that I’m still finding out about too.  Let’s see… well, we have four new people living here at the house--Gina, Chris, Jesse and Lucy—and so the house is full all the time!  I believe Jesse and Lucy are going to be leaving for the States in a couple weeks and Chris is going to be here for quite a few months.  And I have no idea on Gina.  Last I knew she was going back to the States around Christmas time and then, lo and behold, she’s still here!  So surprises aplenty :)  What else?  I had the opportunity to sit in on Ruth guest speaking at a local university and to hear about her life and how she grew into her identity as a daughter of God.  It was such a blessing and a challenge to hear her story.  Also, my former Spanish teacher (who also lives here) got a job!!  So that’s a mighty answer to prayers!  She works 4 days a week which works out great for her and her husband Fabio and their little 2 year old daughter Maya.  Another thing that’s new:  that huge hole in the front yard where I helped make mud (remember for the chicken coop?) has been filled in.  Weird.  Little Maya has also changed—she’s talking a mile a minute now (we’re trying to teach her to say “cool beans” and “I’m bilingual”) J  And a whole bunch of other little new things like the garage door opener doesn’t work for some reason, and we have a bunch of new coffee mugs now (they’re pretty cool), and we have new Frisbees for tutoring, and the piano was tuned.  And the goats keep escaping--I had to go fetch them today :)  Oh!  And Rachel is going to Africa with Ruth in a couple weeks for a conference.  I feel like I’m learning something new every time I turn a corner!


Maya and Me playing on my computer
in the tutoring room

But, I have to say, the newest, most shocking visitor we have here has been (drumroll please):  lice!  On their trip to Argentina, one of the Padilla-Deborst girls got lice from her cousins.  So now we have formed regular grooming sessions, combing each other’s hair to check for any unwelcome guests, very reminiscent of monkeys grooming one another.  So far, only Chabe, Gina, and Daniela have got them.  Daniela even went to the extreme and instead of treating her hair with chemicals and such, she shaved it all off!!  Crazy stuff!  And I am thankful and oh so relieved to say that I do not have them.  Thank God!  So keep the house in your prayers and that the lice invasion will be stopped :)

In all, I am thankful to be back.  It’s going to be a challenging road ahead of me but I pray that it will be an enriching challenge for me. 

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.’”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Stay with me as I go on this journey once again.  Stay tuned!